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As I read different survival sites I often see where it is reccomended to people to get lots of flashlights and batteries. Probably a GOOD idea! However, I also suggest that people might want to consider what I did.
About 7 or 8 years ago I purchased a Garrity WINDUP flashlight. This little jewel has no replacable batteries. I have used this light 100's of times down throught he years. It has never failed. Although the paint is getting rubbed off by all of the handling, it still works as good as it ever did. I keep it on a desk by my bed. If I want to see something I just grab it and turn it on. This has been the BEST flashlight I have ever owned. I don't know how much longer it will last but it has paid for itself many times over at this point,
Because this flashlight has been so dependable, I have put one in each of our vehicles. My wife and I often drive at night and it is very comforting to know that an ultra-reliable hand held light is right at hand.
I bought my lights at Bi-Mart. I see that they are still selling these today. I don't remember what I paid but I am sure it was less than $10. I think that I have around 8 or 10 of them at this time. I AM A BELIEVER!
 
or you could get a solar charger and a bunch of rechargeable batteries. Especially with Li-ion batteries it works really well. Li-ion batteries hold their charge for years and years. Plus they can handle higher discharge rates and can be charged relatively fast.
 
How about a powerful laser with an adjustable lens? Unfocus it and it becomes an incredibly powerful flashlight. Focus it to infinity and you have a beam of light you can project into the sky that is visible from far away, especially at night (signaling or projecting SOS). Focus it really close and you can start fires. :s0087:

Use either one of those 445nm 1W+ projector diodes or the 600mW+ 405nm 12x blu-ray diodes (more expensive but better for burning). Only problem is you have to build it yourself (thank you FDA... :angry:) but that's part of the fun!

Just be sure to get safety goggles rated for your wavelength of choice before you try to burn something and blind yourself with a super bright laser dot.
 
How about a powerful laser with an adjustable lens? Unfocus it and it becomes an incredibly powerful flashlight. Focus it to infinity and you have a beam of light you can project into the sky that is visible from far away, especially at night (signaling or projecting SOS). Focus it really close and you can start fires. :s0087:

Use either one of those 445nm 1W+ projector diodes or the 600mW+ 405nm 12x blu-ray diodes (more expensive but better for burning). Only problem is you have to build it yourself (thank you FDA... :angry:) but that's part of the fun!

Just be sure to get safety goggles rated for your wavelength of choice before you try to burn something and blind yourself with a super bright laser dot.

Not as cool but for the less science educated...

The Spyder III, the World's Most Powerful Portable Laser, Is a Real Life Lightsaber

=)

-d
 
or you could get a solar charger and a bunch of rechargeable batteries. Especially with Li-ion batteries it works really well. Li-ion batteries hold their charge for years and years. Plus they can handle higher discharge rates and can be charged relatively fast.

I wonder whether windup flashlights that have a 8-10 year life or the above mentioned equipment would be less expensive? I paid less than $10 for my flashlight. How much would the above solar charger and extra batteries cost?
Also, which would require the least storage space? After all, when TSHF we are apt to need room for a lot of other things, too.
 

Actually that one kinda sucks. Output is only around 600-700mW, (nothing to laugh at, but you can do better with those 445nm diodes) though you can boost that some by buying a better lens and modding it. It does not have an adjustable lens either, you have to screw on different ones for burning or pointing. It has a stupid "smart-button" thing that requires you to memorize codes to turn it on. It also costs about $100 more than it would cost to make your own. Oh yeah... and it's HUGE. There is no reason for it to be as big as it is.

The other big problem with it is it ships from China and has a 50/50 chance of getting stolen by customs. Again... thanks FDA. :mad:

Check out Laser Pointer Forums for tutorials on how to build your own or if you aren't so great at soldering things there are plenty of people selling ones they already made. Most all of the 445nm ones are much better, cheaper, and more powerful than the arctic.
 
You're going to have to explain that one to me. What does the FDA have to do with customs theft?

Keith

WELL. According to the Food and Drug Administration certain lasers over 5mw (iirc) in power and in certain wavelengths are hazardous to our health and they should protect us from such evil things cuz we might accidentally burn our eyes out. :eek: Anyway... it's the same reason you can't buy a peq-2 or peq-15 for your AR-15 directly from Insight unless you are Mil/LE. Those are infrared, 808nm. Legal to own, illegal for a company to make and sell them completed directly to civilians without a bunch of safety stuff on them like keys and such (labbys).

Apparently lasers are a food or drug I don't bubbleguming know.

Anyway... since wickedlasers is Chinese they don't particularly care about what the FDA says, however because they got so much publicity (they were the first to make use of the cheap 1W+ 445nm diodes even if they did do a shoddy job of it) the FDA decided they hated those devilish communists trying to corrupt our youth with evil blinding lasers and imposed a customs block on them.

You don't want a wickedlasers anyway, they have terrible customer service and everything they ship with their lasers is crap. Battery is crap and sometimes explodes, charger is crap, goggles don't block direct laser hits, you have to wait months for your order to even ship even though they bill you immediately, and their build quality is pretty meh to boot. Also they lie about power output on their website.
 

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